Curse of the Angel, Curse of the Chosen
by Bubblekins1010
Summary: Lloyd Irving has always been different. It got even worse when he was given his dead mother's Cruxis Crystal on his twelfth birthday. But this just takes the cake. The redhead had tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. "Lloyd, don't you remember me? It's me, Zelos, your big brother."
1. Chapter 1

_Bubblekins1010: Don't own, admit it. No sue…_

* * *

Chapter 1

Anna's eyes were heavy with fatigue, and impeding death. Zelos was beside her with his two year old baby brother in his arms. All three of them ended up looking almost half dead, after falling down the cliff.

"Mommy, stay awake! Daddy will come take care of you soon!" he said, struggling to keep hold of the crying two year old.

She did as told, if only to keep Zelos strong until Kratos was able to find them. "Zelos, I love you so much… You and Lloyd… You're such a sweet little boy, and so strong… Promise me you will never lose any of that, ok?"

"I-I promise…" he said, tears welling in his eyes as he realized his mother wasn't going to make it.

"Ok… Now… I need you… To be… A big boy… And do something for mommy."

"Wh-what?"

She pulled out two crystals, and dropped them in his hand. "You were born with yours in your hand… The other is from me to Lloyd… I… Want you… To-to run… The dark blue one is Lloyds… The bright red one is yours… Run to the east… L-like you were always taught… That way your daddy can… find you…"

"But, mommy; what about you?!"

"I'm too weak… Now go…" Her breathing increased as she pushed the sobbing seven year old up. "Go on Zelos… Be a big boy for mommy. And take care of Lloyd."

"B-" Before he could object, she gave him a push and he ran, ran as fast as possible, which was remarkably fast considering he had 25 pounds weighing him down. He found himself at a river; he had been looking at the maps, and knew that a dwarf lived upstream. Unfortunately Lloyd was getting upset about not having his mother or father around. Zelos gripped him tighter as he walked up the stream, he knew that it wasn't far to the dwarf's house, and at this point it was his only hope to get help for his mother. He just hoped he got there in time.

Kratos's wings appeared with a flash of mana, and he used them to balance as he slid down the cliff side. He found Anna at the bottom, alone and near death, her cruxis crystal gone. He dropped to his knees in despair, using first aid a few times, and then lifting her gently into his arms, he went east, like the boys had always been told if anything like this happened. He found a stream, and followed it, knowing that Zelos would have been smart enough to head for the nearest shelter – the home of the dwarf who lived near the head of the stream. Finally he found a cabin, and found himself mobbed by two boys, and a protozoan. The dwarf was by the door to the cabin, and he looked over the family. Finally he waved them inside…

About 10 years later…

It was midnight, and Kratos had been waiting for nearly three hours before Dirk left the house and walked over to him.

"Hello Dirk," he said.

"Ay, hello Kratos. What've ya got fer me, ya said t'was urgent," the dwarf said keeping an eye on Lloyd's room to make sure he didn't eavesdrop.

"I'm sure you remember the blue exphere, am I correct?"

"Got it up on top o' meh cabinet, so Lloyd can' get ter it."

"Alright… I had this made for it…" Kratos said, handing over a mount for it. "It's about time he equips it, and begins to learn with it. That crystal is special though… And so, because of that, it will affect him differently than you might expect, so I'm going to have to explain it all, sit down please…"

A couple days later…

"Lloyd!" Dirk called. "Get yer butt moving! Yer brain won't teach itself!"

"'M getting uuup!" he mumbled.

"I don' hear it!" There was a thud and Dirk walked away from the stairs, knowing he _was_ actually awake. Several minutes later Lloyd stampeded down jumping three steps to the landing and then jumping the last two.

"Good morning," he said, letting himself release a small yawn.

"Good mornin' Lloyd; I've got somethin' fer ya."

"You do? What is it?"

Dirk stood up and went to his cabinet; he brought down a red jacket with a high collar, and set it on the table. "Its yer' 12th birthday today and I think yer old enough ter handle it, so…Happy birthday son."

"Thanks," Lloyd said, grabbing the jacket and putting it on. It was the perfect size for him, and when it was buttoned up, it came up to just below his chin. "I love it!"

"I have somethin' else fer ya too…" He said reaching to the top of the cabinet; finally he grabbed a step ladder and was able to grab the exphere, and the mount. "This here exsphere was yer mothers… And it's about time yeh received it." He said.

"Really, it… Was my mom's?" He asked.

"T'was, so I kept it there until yeh were old enough ter use it properly. Would yeh like meh ter help yeh equip it?"

"Ok."

Dirk took a minute to show Lloyd how to properly mount the gem and equip it in the hollow of his throat. Lloyd winced as the gem seemed to latch on, but shrugged it off.

"Now, this here exsphere is a special exsphere, so don' go showing it off to yer friends. Ya hear me?"

"Alright."

"That high collar should hide it well enough," Dirk commented, stepping back to take a look at it. "Alright, button yer jacket back up." Lloyd did as told, and the exsphere and mount were hidden well enough that unless someone was actually _looking_ for it, they wouldn't be able to notice it. Lloyd was happy…Until he looked at the clock…

"Oh my gosh, I'm gonna be late!" he yelled running out the door, and forgetting his lunch. Luckily he was already in his shoes, or he probably would have forgotten those too. Dirk shook his head.

"I'll take 'im his lunch later…" he said, wondering when the crystal would affect the young boy.

"I'm going to ride Noishe!"

Meanwhile…

"Noishe, I need you to take me to school today; I don't want to be late!" In answer Noishe got down lower so Lloyd could climb onto his back. Once the child was securely attached to his fur, he started running; he didn't want his friend to face the professor's wrath either. After about ten minutes of running they made it to the village gates, and Lloyd quickly dismounted and hit the ground running. He wove through the people of the village, going around, under, and even, in one case, over people and objects, trying to get there at least on time. Otherwise he risked being attacked with chalk, and chalk board erasers…

He slid into the class room exactly five minutes early and honestly shocked everyone. Colette squeaked and fell out of her chair, and somehow managed not to bump anything.

"Lloyd Irving, you're… Five minutes early…" Raine said, looking between him and the clock for several seconds as he sat down. Finally everyone got over their shock, and went on with their lives.

Lloyd looked around slowly. _Is it really that big of a deal…?_

Ten minutes later…

"Lloyd! Have you heard a word of what I've been saying?!" Raine yelled.

"Y-yes! You said the summon spirits- uh… I know I heard summon spirits somewhere in there…" he mumbled, thinking over it. Then… he recited what Raine had said perfectly. Once again, everyone was very surprised. "I uh… Guess I was only half asleep…?" he murmured, trying to figure out how he remembered it; he wanted all of them to stop staring.

"I… Let's go on with our lesson…" she said.

Recess and thus lunch came shortly after, and with it came Dirk, Lloyd's lunch in hand.

"Hello Miss Sage," he said politely.

"Good afternoon Dirk," she said.

"Lloyd rushed out the door so fast he fergot 'is lunch," he said.

"Thank you, just put it on his desk and he'll find it," Raine said.

"Thank ya," Dirk said, entering the school, and leaving the lunch out on his son's desk. "Well, I'd best be off home."

"Alright Dirk, see you around," she replied. He waved and walked off, out of the village, and towards his home.

Lloyd got home and felt different… for some reason his eyes seemed to be better?

"Whoa… That's new; I never realized that small symbol was up there… Weird…" He went up to his room, Dirk being out in the forest for a little while. He dropped the six inch stack of homework on his workdesk and sighed, flopping back on his bed. Raine had given him all of his old assignments he didn't do, and all of his current assignments…

One hour later…

He sighed… "What is it with the professor and insane amounts of homework…?" he grumbled. He'd only gotten about a quarter of his history done so far, less than a half inch portion of his original six. "Grr! I'll never get this done!" He banged his head on his desk denting it slightly with the force… Of course he had a head of steel so… It really did nothing to him. "Ugh, I need some air…" He looked around the forest, and found the house strangely quiet…Then he realized Noishe was gone. "He's probably out to find dad… Or something like that."

Two hours Later…

Dirk got home and found Lloyd studying, it was about six in the evening, and he was surprised to see him study so much.

"Lloyd, Noishe is waitin' for ya in the woods, he wanted to give ya somethin' I think." he said, patting the young boy on the back.

"YAY! I can get up! I'm free from cursed schoolwork!"

"Only until you get back though," Dirk warned.

"Aww…Alright, well it'll be a break…" he said standing up. Dirk led him out of the house and into the woods, and when he made it to a small clearing Noishe knocked into him, knocking him to the ground and licking his face. Suddenly the protozoan got off, Raine, Colette, and Genis filling his newly enlarged view.

"SURPRISE!" they all yelled, crowding him as Genis used fireball light the lanterns strung all over the trees.

"Happy birthday Lloyd!" Colette said smiling happily. Genis came over and helped his best friend up from the ground.

"Are you surprised?" he asked.

"Heh, heh, heh, very," Lloyd replied grinning.

"You don't _sound _super surprised," Collette said.

"I'm sorry. I kind of saw you..."

"B-but how, we chose the darkest place in the forest so we could, and even had Noishe distract you!" Genis said.

"Sorry…"

"It's fine Lloyd. So don't start apologizing," Raine said.

"You're right."

"Anyways, we got lots of stuff for the party, like food fresh from the village and Colette and I got you presents!" The seven-year-old boy said, helping Colette drag him towards the blanket that had been laid out earlier. The now-twelve-year-old just let them do as they wanted, while Raine and Dirk stood back and talked while keeping an eye on the children.

Meanwhile...

Kratos resisted the urge to groan, Noishe was so busy partying that he had to get closer to the Protozoan so he would sense him, but if he got closer it would also make it possible for other Mana sensitive beings – like the two elf-blooded siblings below – to notice him…

Later…

Zelos sat up, stretching a bit with a yawn. He dragged himself out of bed, and got dressed in his usual clothes when he realized what day it was…

"I'm gonna be late!" he said urgently, rushing down the stairs, nearly flying past the maids, and his butler.

"Master Zelos, you should not rush, it is only nine in the morning."

"I know but I don't want to be late, Noishe, Uncle Yuan, and Dad will only be able to be out in the open for so long before they have to leave." He said.

"Very well… If you wish to leave immediately, I will accompany you."

"Great! Let's go!" he said, taking the basket of food one of the maids provided for him and leaving the mansion.

* * *

"I'm here!" Zelos shouted as he slid to a stop, his butler having stopped a distance back so as to watch for any unwelcome company.

"You're late," Yuan said, raising an eyebrow.

"S-sorry. I overslept," he panted, only to be slobbered on less than ten seconds later. "Noishe, no; not the hair!" Kratos rubbed his temples, still not getting _why_ his _son_ cared so much about his hair… Or wore pink and black…

"Point is we've lost some time to discuss the plan," Kratos said.

"Sorry."

"And Kratos and Noishe were late too…" Yuan sighed.

"Noishe was too busy partying to notice my Mana signature…"

"Well, whatever. We have some news on the restoration of the world."

"Really?" the redhead asked.

"Yes," Kratos said quietly. "Last night I went to see Dirk… I gave him a key crest for the Cruxis crystal, Lloyd should begin feeling the effects of it this evening, his senses will begin to get sharper, and he _might_ manifest some of the abilities the three of us have."

"In doing so, we've set a plan many years in the making in motion. We will allow the chosen to make it to the tower, after that we the Renegades will 'kidnap' them, and take them to our base, I'm already making the system so I can deactivate the firewall for ten minutes, they can get into it with relatively little difficulty, and get the location of the way between worlds, and get some rheairds."

"At which point they will get to Tethe'alla and most likely they will head your way, this is the crucial part where you're going to come in Zelos. Up until the tower I will guide the Chosen, and feed information to Yggdrasill, all the while giving Yuan information he needs to make his part of the plan work."

"Once they make it to Meltokio, you will become our new triple agent; you'll be feeding Yggdrasill information, while you give me and the group information…"

"So I've just got to take care of them until it comes time to restore the world to the way it was before, starting from Meltokio?"

"Yes. But there's one more thing," Kratos said, barely hiding his emotions. "Lloyd is going to be with them. We've made sure of that, since he has the Cruxis crystal, he's going to become an angel, so it's only natural that the village would want him to go with the Chosen of Regeneration... So… When you meet him, you are fully allowed to tell him he's your brother, and instruct him in the use of his Cruxis crystal, as I've instructed you. But you can't tell him anything else, he has to be kept in the dark for the most part, otherwise it's possible some tiny misstep could mess our entire plan up."

"We'll give you instructions on where to take them, and direct them as you go."

Zelos grinned. He had always enjoyed being a big brother, and now it seemed he was going to get the chance again.

"We'll send you a picture of him after he's been in my base since I'll be able to take some good pictures with my security cameras. And all the while, it will seem to Yggdrasill you're both being loyal," Yuan finished.

"Not that he would actually kill dad, I mean, he wouldn't risk the seal… But he might make him disappear… And that wouldn't work very well for our plan, and well… I think I might kill him if he did that."

"True… But by that point he'll have figured out about Lloyd, and that would mean, another to fulfill the title of chosen, so to Yggdrasill that would make you disposable."

"Right… Well… That just means you've got to keep an extra close eye on him, and make sure he doesn't get suspicious," Zelos said. "Don't worry, I trust you, you'll keep him happy, he'll hear what he wants to hear, and won't notice our scheme until we've pulled it off, right under his nose! It'll serve him right after all he's done."

"I believe I have to agree with you," Yuan said. "So Zelos, I'm curious… Have you finally figured out how to fly?"

Zelos turned a shade of red that was akin to tomatoes, causing Kratos to feel the need to back away. Not that he moved, since they would probably never let him live it down if he did, but still…

"I haven't… I've been working on it, but it's not very easy, even in Tethe'alla with the high Mana levels."

"Would you like some lessons now?" Kratos asked.

"We do have a few hours left; we can work on some details during lunch… Until then we can… _teach_ you how to fly…" Yuan mused, smirking.

Zelos groaned knowing that bad things happened when Yuan smirked… It meant he was plotting._ Uh-oh, what have I gotten myself into?_

It was a very short time later that Yuan could be seen grinning like the cat that got the canary, several hundred feet above the ground. Zelos screamed very much like a girl as he fell, while Kratos hovered just above the ground below him. He was slightly jolted as his son hit his arms.

"It was a good try… Except next time, Yuan, you should allow him time to pull out his wings so he can actually _try_ to fly…" Kratos said putting Zelos down.

Yuan was still chuckling when he landed. "Aw, but it's so entertaining to hear him scream… And kid, you scream like a girl." Zelos's eye twitched in annoyance, making Yuan laugh even more. They were so much alike.

Meanwhile…

Lloyd was still doing homework when three a.m. came around. Dirk was sleeping muttering "Hammer… Key Crest… LLOYD!", and the house was still, or it would seem, in truth, to Lloyd, it wasn't. Everything he saw was so sharp and clear, he even saw the movement of a fly.

"Maybe I should go to bed…" he sighed, groaning at the accursed stack of work still on his desk. "… Yeah, definitely going to bed now…"

Meanwhile…

"I hope we get to see each other again soon…"

"In another month you will be able to see them again, Master Zelos," his butler said.

Zelos sighed. Sebastian was the only one in all of Meltokio he had trusted with the secret of Cruxis' reality. "No…We've had to change it so visits are six months apart now, we have to start being more… 'loyal' to Yggdrasill… Though, they might be able to sneak little visits in if they're in the area," he said, deeply annoyed by the fact.

"I see…"

"I just hope they find the time, and that everything goes according to plan…"

"Yes… I do too."

Meanwhile…

Lloyd sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out what day it was… He realized it was finally Undineday, and he could sleep in…But then he had the unfortunate luck to look at the large amount of schoolwork left in his bag, and the comparatively small stack of completed papers on his desk, and knew that if he didn't get working, he wouldn't be able to finish it by next Sylphday…

"I guess I had better get working…" he groaned, flopping into his chair… Until he saw a fly buzzing merrily around his room… He promptly killed it in order to keep the annoying buzzing noise from driving him insane.

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_Bubblekins1010: Hey all! How are you? Yes, I'm BAAAA-AAACK- and I have another ToS story!_

**Rini-Tsukino: Hey all and well met! I'm gonna keep this short because I'm in the middle of a boss fight on Skyward Sword. This is one of the various collabs that Bubblekins and I are doing; and the first to be posted.**

_Bubblekins1010: Yup! That's right! It's a real treat for you isn't it! Anyways I wrote most of this chapter with Rini helping me edit, and putting in the final scene. I've been busy with NaNoWriMo so this is the first update since either Oct. 31st, or Nov. 1__st__! We hope you enjoyed!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Bubblekins1010: There was nothing for disclaimer, or AN, so... We don't own notin'!_

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Chapter 2

Lloyd sat in his bed, quietly flipping pages.

It had been over two years since he'd been given his exsphere, and since then he'd discovered that it was… special. That _he_ was special.

That little gem, mounted in the hollow below his throat, had turned him into an angel.

Being an angel had sounded all good and well at first – Lloyd had been excited when Dirk had told him about the real power of the exsphere the day he'd accidentally cut his foot chasing Noishe through the stream.

* * *

"_Lloyd! What're you doin'!? Wha' happen'd!?"_

_Lloyd looked bewildered. "Wh-what? What'd I do?"_

_Dirk pointed at the pool of blood beneath Lloyd. "Yer bleedin' bad! What-"_

_Lloyd looked down at where Dirk was pointing and panicked. "H-huh? I- Wh-what the-!? I… I didn't even notice- What's going on? Why-why can't I feel that? Why can't I feel my foot? I-I should be cold, why am I not cold, I've been in the water all day, I should be cold!" Lloyd paused for breath, only to start hyperventilating when he tried to talk again._

"_Lloyd, calm down. 'T'll all be alrigh' Lloyd. We'll get that bandaged up an' I'll explain what's happenin' to ya, alrigh'?"_

* * *

After that, he'd had to be more careful, but he'd been okay for a while. He had been told in no uncertain terms that he was not to tell anyone, not even Genis or Colette, about what was happening to him, but he was still able to go to school, hang out with his friends, and just be normal. Even once he'd lost the need to eat and his sense of taste with it, he'd still been alright.

But then his hearing had sharpened. He'd been riding Noishe to school that day, and as soon as he got within a quarter of a mile of the village his head had started pounding. As he got closer the pounding intensified, and as he'd reached the gates he'd passed out entirely. Noishe had turned around and rushed him right back home, the guards at the gate shouting for the dog to come back.

That was the day Raine found out what was happening. The gate guards had run to the school and told Raine what they saw, and she had immediately told the students to study while she went to check on Lloyd.

* * *

_Raine looked around. She saw no one, not even Noishe. "Lloyd? Dirk? Is anyone here?"_

_When there was no answer she knocked on the door. The response was a short, sharp sob from inside. Worried, she tried twisting the doorknob and was relieved when it wasn't locked. Lloyd wasn't on the ground floor, so she hurried up the stairs to where she knew her student's room was. Lloyd was curled up in a corner, his pillow clenched in fisted hands and pulled around to cover his ears._

"_Lloyd? Lloyd, are you okay?" she asked anxiously._

_He pulled the pillow closer, tears gathering in his eyes, and shook his head. "Too loud…" he whimpered. "It's all just too loud…"_

"_Lloyd, Lloyd? Where are ya?" Dirk cried, charging inside. Lloyd sobbed again, tears slipping down his cheeks._

_Raine quietly hurried to the top of the stairs. "He's up here. He said something about everything being too loud, and the men at the gate said he passed out on the way to the village."_

_Dirk immediately quieted, then hesitated a moment, as though thinking something over. "Well, I suppos' ya'd have found out soon anyway… Raine, I think Lloyd's gonna need private lessons. He prob'ly won' be in school much for a while…"_

* * *

Since then, Lloyd hadn't gone down to the village. The excuse was that he'd caught something off a monster in the forest, and had been sick since, with some disease they had no clue about. Granted, it wasn't all bad. Genis and Raine had been coming up three or four times a week to give Lloyd lessons. But by the time he'd learned to control his hearing, his sense of smell had sharpened, and he'd had to leave whenever his dad made a meal for over two weeks or end up nauseated by the scent. And even then, just when he thought he'd be able to be normal again, exactly a year after he'd equipped the crystal, he woke up to sharp pains in his back and shoulders.

He ignored it most of the day, though it wasn't easy, being the first thing he'd felt in months, but then Colette and Phaidra showed up that afternoon.

* * *

"_Lloyd? Lloyd…? Oh, there you are! How are you feeling? I-I'm sorry I didn't bring you a present, but I wanted to give you a blessing, on your birthday… So that you'll feel better…" Colette said._

_Lloyd jumped, water from the bucket he'd been watering the plants with splashing everywhere. "C-Colette? Phaidra? Wh-what- Augh!" Lloyd dropped to the ground, the pain he'd been feeling all day focusing, intensifying in his shoulder blades. As Colette rushed to him and knelt down beside him, he grabbed desperately for her hands, wishing for something, _anything_ to make the pain stop. As his hands locked with hers there was a sickening tearing sound and he felt some sort of hot liquid seeping down his back and sides with every relieved breath. The pain wasn't gone, but it wasn't so unbearable anymore._

_Colette gasped aloud, and Lloyd's eyes moved to her. But between him and her was a strangely translucent blue and purple curtain… He reached out in wonder, his fingers gently closing on one of the beautiful feathers. The beautiful feathers on _his_ wings… his _wings_… _His wings_!_

_Noishe and Dirk returned from their trip to town shortly after, and Dirk quickly took Phaidra aside and explained as he cut Lloyd's jacket and shirt away from the new wings when Lloyd couldn't figure out how to put them away on his own. Some bandages and Lloyd was feeling good, minus the loss of his favorite comfy shirt and jacket. Dirk promised to get him some shirts without backs for the time being for his birthday._

_But Lloyd thought being able to let Colette in on his secret was the best birthday present of all._

* * *

From that day on Phaidra had brought Colette to visit at least once every couple of weeks. Raine tried to coordinate with them, to bring Genis up on the same day, and they would frequently spend all Undineday playing together. Lloyd, in his enthusiasm, quickly taught himself how to fly, though not terribly well. He figured he would have more time to practice in a few years, when he went with Colette on the Journey of Regeneration.

Phaidra had already talked it over with Dirk. She felt that Lloyd being raised in Iselia must be some sort of divine sign from Cruxis, a sign of their approval, and that he was to act as Colette's protector and guide. To that end, she had brought him copies of some of the holy texts from the temple and, with Colette's help, had taught him the Angelic Language.

He began reading much more after that, as, halfway through the lessons, he found himself literally unable to sleep.

* * *

"_Argh, why can't I just fall asleep?" Lloyd grumbled, tossing and turning. He was stuck sleeping on his stomach and sides because of his wings, and that had been uncomfortable for a while, but he'd eventually gotten used to it. But now… He'd been up for well over a full day, almost two, and just wanted some rest. His mind was exhausted from the last two days, what with Raine coming up to give him school lessons, then Phaidra the next day with lessons in Angelic. All he wanted to do was _sleep_ but sleep just wouldn't come._

_Finally, he gave up and walked across the room to the bookshelf. Maybe he'd be able to relax and fall asleep if he read for a while - it had always made him sleepy._

_Six hours later, just around dawn, he finally gave up. It seemed he'd lost the need, or even ability, to sleep. On the other hand, he'd discovered that he had several adventure and mythology books on his bookshelf he hadn't known about. Reading about the Four Seraphim was one of his favorite subjects._

* * *

And then had come what was probably the second-worst part of the transformation. He'd lost the ability to speak for… well, he didn't know how long. His throat had been sore all day, and he'd been out playing with Colette and Genis – they were trying to catch some fish for dinner, but seeing as they only had one fishing pole, they were attempting to catch them barehanded.

* * *

"_Hey, I got one!" Colette shouted elatedly. Then she frowned. "Aww, but he's so cute, I don't want to kill him…" she said. The fish apparently agreed wholeheartedly, since he squirmed and wriggled and finally jumped from her grasp, landed on Lloyd's face as he tried to grab it, and splashed into the water._

_Lloyd spluttered. "Hey! Come back here-" he cut off abruptly as the pain in his throat intensified and then vanished. He blinked, surprised, and coughed a few times. 'Ow, that hurt…'_

"_What, Lloyd?" Genis asked._

'_My throat, it-' he stopped suddenly. He was speaking… but then why couldn't he hear himself?_

"_Lloyd? Are you okay?"_

_Lloyd gestured frantically at his throat, trying to speak. 'I can't talk anymore!'_

"_Lloyd? Uhm… There's no sound coming out of your mouth."_

_Lloyd numbly walked over to the river bank and sat down, hard._

* * *

Even that hadn't been the worst of it, though. No… the reason he didn't know how long he was without his voice was because, just a short few weeks after losing it, he'd gone through the most terrifying part of the transformation yet. He'd been locked inside his own exsphere for two months.

* * *

_Lloyd had no idea what had happened. One moment he'd been having a lesson with Raine and Genis, the next… nothing. Nothing but white. There was nothing there. He couldn't hear, he couldn't speak, he couldn't draw out his wings or even hardly think. He just floated there, surrounded by white and nothing and wondered, in the brief moments he could think, if he would ever get out of there. Then, sometime later, he had no idea how long as there was no way to tell time in the white void, he became aware of a red tint creeping in. After the red had colored the void, he sometimes saw bits and pieces and flashes of the real world. Colette sitting by him – his bedside, perhaps? – Genis talking to him, Raine bringing a vase of flowers. Worst was his dad, there nearly every time, always worried. And every time he tried to say something, to reassure them, but he couldn't do anything but stare and wish and pray._

* * *

Finally, finally, the day came that he was allowed control of his own body again, that he fought free of the void. However, his greatest fear was no longer tomatoes, like his friends teased him. No… His greatest fear was that he would someday wind up in that void again.

* * *

**Rini Tsukino: Well, while Bubblekins pretends she's dying at the end of Lloyd's swords, I'd like to formally note that it was almost one in the morning and she gave me sugar when I wrote the last few sections. So, not entirely my fault.**

_Bubblekins1010: Raine brought me back to life and Kratos healed me! YAY! They won't be tortured (Anymore) Mentally, or physically, for the next two or three thousand words! (At least not by me! ^.^)_

**Rini Tsukino (Continued after interruption): Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as a note I'll be doing the majority of the even numbered chapters, so there will probably be a distinct style change between chapters.**


	3. Chapter 3

Bubblekins1010: Alright, universal (AKA all chapter, whichever) Disclaimer! We don't own Tales of Symphonia, nor do we pretend to! We only own the plot, and all the OC's we put in here!

Chapter 3

Lloyd sat reading, while he was waiting for Raine, Genis, and Colette to come and visit. He had become accustomed to reading while he waited for the professor, because then he was able to catch up as far as he needed to so he knew all he needed to for the answers to her quiz… Maybe cramming wasn't the best idea, but he didn't often have the inspiration to actually study until the day of the test, especially since overly loud noises still bugged him sometimes.

Of course the classroom wasn't the best place to find quiet…Especially without the teacher around… He sighed and hid under Raine's desk, with his book, reading quickly, hence his flipping a page a minute. Finally the professor got there, and quieted the class, making all of them go back to their seats. She sighed in contentment, and dropped a piece of chalk under her desk, and onto Lloyd's head. He jumped, hitting his head, and scurried out with his book still in hand, and read it as he quickly walked back to his seat.

Thirty minutes later…

"Lloyd! Did you hear what I just said?"

"Yes professor. You said- 'the chosen's journey consists of going to the four seals around the continents and releasing them. Then the Chosen will go to the tower of salvation to become an angel, and finish the journey of regeneration, saving the land from dying, and making the desians vanish. Also concerning the tower of salvation, the large tower, said to reach the heavens, appears when the Chosen accepts the oracle, and opens when the seals are open. The seals that need to be released are the seals of Light, Wind, Water, and Fire.'"

"Word for word."

Lloyd went back to his book, splitting his attention between Raine, and the book. He'd found with his better memory he could multitask fairly easily, so his grades had shot up, past Genis, and into a whole new level. The silver haired genius had been a little jealous that Lloyd of all people would surpass him grade wise, but he got over it after about three years…

Colette was getting more mature… But she was still just as accident prone as before, heck not even Lloyd sprinting to save her was able to keep her from making a Colette shaped hole in the wall during spring cleaning… No; no amount of help could ever stop her from tripping even when nothing's there…

Raine was… Well Raine, only a little less chalk, and whiteboard eraser happy. And Genis, well he was still a genius.

A couple hours later the lunch/recess bell rang and Lloyd walked out lunch in one hand and his book still in the other. He slid down the wall next to Genis and Colette, and pulled out a quarter of a sandwich. He nibbled on the sandwich as he read through the rest of the chapter. Finally when he was done he put the book down, and he turned to his friends still taking small nibbles of the piece of sandwich.

"So Lloyd what are you reading, you've had your nose sitting in that book almost all day; even when you were riding Noishe." Genis said.

"Oh, just catching up, I've been reading a series of interesting books; they're different than anything I've ever read. There are seven, and they're about a different type of magic."

"Sounds interesting Lloyd," Colette chirped.

"It is."

They continued talking for a while, until the bell rang, at that point Lloyd grabbed his book, and he started to re-burry his nose into it eagerly, as he walked happily back to his seat, and put what was left of the sandwich in his lunch bag.

About half an hour later Raine was teaching them about Sylvarant's history, happily lecturing them all to sleep; but she was cut short as a light shone in the northwest, illuminating everyone, and everything within at least a ten mile radius, considering how far from the village the Martel Temple was.

There was a lot of murmuring from the children in the classroom, and Raine looked startled.

"Class, I want you to stay here, and study on your own until I come back. I'm going to go and investigate that light." She left and one of the kids jumped up.

"Telling us to study on our own is like saying school's out for the day!"

"Sit down." Lloyd said, nose still in his book.

"What are you going to do Lloyd tie me to my desk?"

"If I have to; I know where the professor's rope is… And trust me when I say, I know how to make it work so all of you stay…"

"Right…" The kid, a troublemaker named Marcus, said, sounding oh so much like he believed him. Lloyd slapped his book shut, and put it down calmly, then got into one of Raine's drawers, and pulled out a rope about thirty feet long.

"You asked for it…"

Ten minutes later all the kids in the classroom, aside from Genis, Lloyd, and Colette were tied together with the rope, and books in their hands –the only parts of them Lloyd didn't tie up.

"Genis, Colette, let's go. They'll be good until someone, probably the professor, finds them."

"Where are we going?" Colette asked.

"Lloyd! No! My sister'll kill us!"

"Correction Genis, first of all she'll spank you pretty badly, and I'll get a nice kick… Something I'll endure, only because you'll have to deal with it too. And this is only, if she meets us in there, and if I need to I'll try running away home with you." Lloyd reasoned. Genis sighed, and went towards the door. "Besides, this might be the oracle."

"I can't let you go… I want to go and see if it's the oracle as well… So even if neither of you go, I'm going." Colette said.

"Well, we defiantly have to go now, because we can't leave Colette on her own."

"Right, let's go."

Zelos felt the ripple of mana even in Tethe'alla; he bolted upright in his bed as the ripple from mana drawing to Sylvarant washed past him in multiple waves. It was only a mediocre amount of mana, just enough for the light of the oracle, but it still bugged him. He didn't know how he would fare in a declining world… Well, he would probably find out soon enough, wouldn't he…?

"So Lloyd… You're leaving on the journey soon huh? Well… According to dad and Uncle Yuan, you'll be here sometime in the next couple of years … Finally, I'll be able to keep an eye on you, and I won't have to worry about you so much…"

Lloyd, Colette and Genis walked to the edge of the village and Lloyd called for Noishe. They would ride Noishe to get there faster since the temple was about 9-10 miles away, and under any other circumstances would take them as a group about half a day to walk/run that far.

When they got there about ten minutes later with Lloyd just deciding to glide most of the way, and Noishe running, they found one of the priests collapsed outside of the temple on the steps.

Colette ran up to him and kneeled down to see how bad his wounds were.

"Ch-chosen… I'm glad… You're safe… D-desians attacked th-the temple… And…"

She grabbed one of his hands, "Where is grandmother?"

"She's back… in the temple…"

"Please don't speak, you'll be all right… I-"

"Thank you chosen, but it's too late for me… Flee, or the desians will… find you…" He said those words, and the hand Colette had grabbed went limp. She cried for a minute while Lloyd and Genis stood back both with depressing airs around them. Genis was crying and Lloyd's eyes were watering. Colette after a minute stood up and started up the stairs. Lloyd followed silently, and Genis hesitated for a minute before following them.

What they found at the entrance was chaos. There were probably a little over twenty desians; Phidra was standing in the doorway trying to keep them from entering the temple. But when her eyes landed on Colette she took immediate action.

"Colette- run!"

One of the desians looked at the blond girl, and pointed. "Get her!"

A sword went straight for Colette slashing sideways, but Lloyd was quick and there was a ring of metal on metal as Genis stepped back and began to cast. Colette unclipped her chakrams from the holsters on her back, and attacked the desian that Lloyd was holding off with his sword.

Lloyd and the desian were caught by surprise as the sharp edge made its mark, the chakram she had thrown returned to her, and she caught it with ease barely tripping over her own feet as she went to protect Genis who was casting like crazy, at the very top of the stairs away from most of the battle but noticeable.

Lloyd meanwhile was working on a 5 on 1 battle, of course he was the one, but he didn't exactly have a disadvantage; see he'd grown significantly in strength over the years, both his drive to protect Colette and the crystal he wore making him stronger both mentally and physically; not only that but for the most part he'd gain maturity, and respect… Though the younger kids didn't seem to respect him at all… He parried and swept his leg to the back of the knees of one of the men attacking him.

He fell with a hard thud and Lloyd mentally smirked, He ducked, then jumped, and flipped in midair getting out of the circle; then took advantage of their momentary confusion and sent a kick to one knocking over the man, and two of his comrades. The men grunted trying to re-orient themselves as the last two looked uncertain whether or not they should continue this battle…

They finally looked at each other and grabbed the fallen men before retreating to their leader. Lloyd was suspicious when they didn't move out, and his suspicions were not without reason as a giant man came onto the battlefield. Now the desians seemed much more willing to finish battling.

Lloyd, seeing no way of retreat, put his blades up in his specialized form, one foot forward the other back and both blades raised, the left blade diagonal, and the other up around the height of his ear but in about a foot away from there.

He hardly used this stance in actual battle because it left him vulnerable from his balance being shaken too badly, but if he could get rid of this guy, or at least distract him… Well it would be worth it to get Colette and Genis to safety.

The big man swung his ball on its chain aiming directly for Lloyd's feet; he got just out of range by balancing on his back foot, and going back down on two feet. He had hardly broken a sweat so far, which was a good thing. The man charged him, winging down with his hammer; Lloyd jumped just out of range again, and grinned cheekily.

"You can't get me neener, neener, neener!" he taunted.

His comments of course enraged the man - as he swung again Lloyd was ready and pretty much danced around him; pulling off a spin that slashed the guys back. But what he hadn't been expecting was for the chain ball to crash into his right ankle… Hard enough he heard a crack.

Botta watched worriedly, he knew that Yuan wouldn't be very happy if Lloyd were too badly injured… He could just see the fireballs filling the base…

Kratos watched waiting to see when he needed to jump in… If ever. Honestly his son seemed to be doing just fine on his own… Of course when he broke his ankle Kratos knew it, he heard the crack. And though Lloyd couldn't feel it he couldn't walk on it.

Kratos went for the attack, not the kill, but the downing. He seethed with anger at Lloyd being hurt but withheld the impulse to try and heal his ankle and do anything to show it.

He promptly took care of the giant man, and checked on Genis and Colette. Then he finally stopped suppressing that urge as the renegades retreated, and he had room to check on Lloyd. He kept his face neutral, annoyed even. Anything not to give away what he was really feeling, joy, fear, anxiety, anger, and sadness, to name a few.

He was known in the village as a mercenary, and often was known for doing work for Dirk. And since Lloyd was going on the journey they'd asked Dirk who he might suggest for another escort. The Dwarf had of course known the plan, and quickly chosen to hire Kratos. When he told the plan to the auburn haired man he'd been quite happy, and found it worked great because Yggdrasil had wanted him to go on the journey and protect the chosen. Of course this would all coordinate with Yuan's plans and finally when this was over there were two options for an end result. The worlds would die, or become one. He brought his mind back to examining Lloyd's ankle.

"I think it's broken… I can heal it mostly, enough to walk on with the aid of a wrap."

Lloyd looked happy at that and Kratos healed it most of the way with a couple first aids. Then he allowed Colette and Genis to wrap it while he talked to Phidra.

"Long time, no see Kratos," she said.

"I've been busy around the continent; I came here to check on things, and see if the oracle had come… When I saw the light I hurried here, and I'm glad I did…" The truth was that he'd been told when the oracle would be received. But she didn't need to know that, nor did she need to know the little part of his explanation that was tweaked a bit to hide his 'true allegiances.'

"I see. Well, I'm glad you did as well. Lloyd is quite the swordsman, has a high pain tolerance too… But if he's anything, he's cocky; as I'm hopeful you already know, he will be accompanying you, Colette, and Miss Sage on the journey."

"I am aware. And I'm also sure he'll prove to be very valuable and mature along the way."

"Yes… Though I do ask one thing," Phidra said, turning to him, and guiding him a bit into the temple. "Please, protect him… Make sure he makes it back home, our village is already going to lose a bright young soul to this journey, I ask that you do your best to protect him if the need arises. Please."

"Of course," Kratos said. Well that was one thing dealt with, he could be as protective as he needed in the face of Lloyd's possible death and have a reason other than 'because I'm your father' to justify it.

A minute later Colette and Genis were following Lloyd, whom they weren't so sure should be walking at for the time being.

"Lloyd if anything you should call Noishe and go home; you seriously shouldn't be walking!" Genis said. Lloyd, of course, paid no heed to his words, and continued on towards the entrance of the temple. "Lloyd!"

"Genis can you please keep your voice down just a couple hundred decibels?"

Genis quieted down, his mouth moving like a fish's, "I- uh- um…Eh heh… Sorry…" He said, half whispering half talking.

"Though he is correct Lloyd, you should go back home; I don't think Dirk would approve of you going in here with an injured ankle."

"You too Kratos!? Oh come on, is anyone on my side?"

"I wouldn't mind Lloyd coming, so long as he is careful and doesn't get into any of the battles… Or tries not to at least," Colette said.

Kratos looked about to object, but Phaidra spoke up sooner.

"Lloyd can choose, though, I will not agree with Colette in the matter of staying out of battles and being careful enough. I would suggest hovering to keep off of it entirely… There was a dispersion of Mana in the area when the light of the oracle shone."

"Fine, I can do that. And I can still fight if necessary," Lloyd agreed, his wings appearing behind him. Kratos was slightly amazed at how well Lloyd was hovering; even with the mana from Tethe'alla there was still a miniscule amount of Mana in the air, therefore it shouldn't be possible for Lloyd to be flying this well. But somehow Kratos just mentally shook his head and accepted it. According to Dirk he'd always been prone to doing the impossible…

You truly are the best candidate to save our worlds aren't you Lloyd…

"Hey Kratos come on!" Lloyd called from about ten feet into the temple. Kratos sighed and complied with his wishes, following them deeper into the temple. (You're. So. Lucky. I could have – Should have- ended it here, but I didn't because when I asked my sis… Well let's just say she tried to write this dungeon before and it took her over a year to complete…

Hey! I had school and other stories I was working on, too! And limited access to the game on top of that! And it's definitely gotta be among the most boring dungeons I've ever played!)

They started with the middle path, the door being blocked by a barrier of Mana. They turned around and went to the left only to find a dead end. Next they tried the last path, which was where they found a few monsters and the stairs down to the lower part of the temple. They defeated the monsters, and went down the stairs, Lloyd floating a bit uncertainly for a moment at the top before following them slowly as he attempted to maneuver his head out of the way of the stone coming to meet it on the way. No such luck as his head bumped it, but he was ok overall, being slightly dazed but ok.

"Oh, what is that rock thingy?"

"That would be a stone golem." Lloyd said, noticeably bored… Lloyd and bored were not two words that should ever enter the same sentence… Again… See the last time he was bored; well, the village was bombarded with water balloons first thing in the morning. Later when Raine started to reprimand him, and finally asked why he did it, he simply gave a five word answer… "I was bored last night…"

Soon enough they could see just how bored as Lloyd pulled out a book on wind magic, and soon enough the golem was a block. Which Kratos, knowing the puzzle, quickly used to 'figure out the solution'.

He helped Colette push the block through the hole, and they just let Lloyd stay bored as he took out golem after golem, finally running out of old spells, and thinking up slight variations, and sometimes manipulating the wind strikes to make patterns.

Genis was amazed and started. "Hey Lloyd can you teach me how to do some of that?"

"Oh, sure; later though, maybe this evening before dinner, then you can have some dinner before heading for home,"

"Ok, cool!" Genis said happily.

Finally the last hole was filled, and they went down to the ground, all the holes were filled perfectly, and they went to the middle stairway, grabbing a ring. Colette put it on and when she thought it, fired a blast of mana.

Kratos stood behind them calmly. "With this we should be able to break the mana barrier."

"Great!" Colette chirped, trying to skip away to the stairs back, but tripping and landing ungracefully on her face. She stood up and dusted herself off; meeping when Lloyd was hovering around her to makes sure she didn't break any bones. Of course by now she never did, she just got a little dusty.

A few minutes later…

"Lloyd, I'm fine; I swear, so please stop worrying about me."

"But Colette… You should know by now, I always worry about you."

"Oh! Here's the door!"

She sent a burst of mana at it and the lock dispersed allowing them all entrance. They walked and hovered into the large room slowly. Suddenly there was a sound and an angel appeared.

He floated in front of them. "Colette, chosen of regeneration, you have done well, the journey of Regeneration now begins and so I bestow the Tower of Regeneration upon this land." He said leading their gaze to the white tower of stone, a light also flowed around Colette's neck, and there was a small burst of sparkles as an exphere on a golden mount appeared there. "Now you begin, go. The first seal is to the south east, in the desert."

"Uhm… Wait, please wait; is it true? Are you really my… My father?"

"Go, I wish you luck my dear daughter, Colette."

"Did you hear that; it's true! My father really is an angel!"

Five minutes later…

Colette was still beaming when they met Phidra… Of course everyone else went to the village while Lloyd and Genis stayed back so they could talk over plans for a few minutes before heading to Lloyd's house… Of course they were stopped by a scarily familiar voice…

"MARVLOUS! WONDERF-" Raine stopped her crazy ranting when she saw her little brother and her student… Two that should still be in class studying… Her eye twitched. But before she could do anything Lloyd had grabbed Genis and floated to the ceiling.

"Professor before you start to reprimand us I have an explanation; a good one!"

"And what would that be?"

"WellyouseeColettewantedtofindoutwhatwasgoingonsoGenisandIcouldn'tleavehertogobyherselfsowehadtogowithhersoItieduptheclassandwewent." He said super high speed.

"Slower Lloyd…"

"Well you see… Colette wanted to find out what was going on, so Genis and I couldn't leave her to go by herself, so we had to go with her, so I tied up the class, and we went."

"Fine, I won't punish you… Much… Lloyd you have a five page essay to write tonight on the Karlan War, and extra homework to do during the time of the journey, Genis five spankings."

Bubblekins1010: Alrighty! That it! I'll try and get Rini to write the next chapter soon! ^.^


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